


Lazy Summer Afternoons

by raisedinthunder



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 02:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14906723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raisedinthunder/pseuds/raisedinthunder
Summary: Bucky wasn’t sure how long he’d been sat there; sprawled on the couch his nose buried in his book as Steve sat in the window sketching. He couldn’t bring himself to care. It was so peaceful and comfortable.





	Lazy Summer Afternoons

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a prompt for 'Person 1 thinks Person 2 is drawing them, but 1 is really drawing 2′s cat.' forever ago on tumblr and I've been wanting to write this ever since. The cat in question is inspired by my friend's cat who also ended up in the same predicament as the fluffy idiot in this story.

It had been one of those slow lazy days. The afternoon sun shining through the big windows bathing the apartment in a soft glow. It reminded him of all those years ago. Summers spent lazing about in a too hot apartment, the window to the fire escape wide open to let through a non-existent breeze. At least they had air conditioning now and wouldn’t be left feeling like they were slowly roasting to death in their own home.  
Bucky stretched his arms up above his head, adjusting his position slightly before letting his eyes fall back onto the book in his lap. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sat there; sprawled on the couch his nose buried in his book as Steve sat in the window sketching. He couldn’t bring himself to care. It was so peaceful and comfortable.  
He read a few more pages before his eyes flicked up towards Steve. He was sat in the window seat sketchbook on his knees. It gave Bucky such an intense feeling of nostalgia that he had to physically stop himself from grinning. It was strange to think how much time had passed since those days. When it was just him and Steve. Things were different now. The world was different. He was different, and yet some things stayed the same. Like the way Steve’s eyes flicked up in his direction as his pencil scratched away.   
Wait, Bucky shifted slightly now aware that Steve’s focus was no longer on the Brooklyn skyline. Steve was in fact facing more towards him, his gaze flicking in Bucky’s direction. His brow furrowed in concentration as he sketched. He didn’t seem to notice Bucky noticing him.  
Blushing slightly Bucky tried to put his focus back on his book, willing the warmth in his cheeks to go away. Steve was drawing him. He hadn’t done that since… not since before; before the war, before the ice, before everything else. Bucky preened slightly at the thought of being Steve’s focus. He’d always liked it when Steve drew him. Gave him a sense of pride that Steve Rogers would find him worthy of capturing on paper.  
If he was honest he wasn’t sure what their relationship was anymore. They were friends, that was certain but more than that? He didn’t know. There had been something more between them back before the war, that he remembered well enough. But now? He had no idea. Bucky knew how he felt. War and ice hadn’t changed a damn thing. He had realised that in Wakanda. All those weeks spent getting over the conditioning and learning about himself fully had made him see that. But Steve had changed so much, Bucky had changed even more. They weren’t the boys who spent their summers on a fire escape back in Brooklyn anymore. How could Steve still love him after everything? So Bucky had never mentioned their relationship. Too scared to hear the answer. 

He tried to stay still and focused on his book. Letting Steve scribble away at his sketchbook but he barely made it a few more pages before his eyes were raised up and looking over in Steve’s direction once again. Steve had his lower lip between his teeth as he sketched. His eyes focused on the sketchbook, he looked kind of adorable. That little frown he always got when he was concentrating. Bucky smiled fondly at him about to go back to his book when Steve looked up again and Bucky was caught. Their eyes met and Steve smiled.  
‘Let’s see it then.’ Bucky said, trying to come off casual when really a hurricane of butterflies seemed to have erupted in his stomach.  
‘Yeah okay.’ Steve said stumbling up to his feet and approaching Bucky who had dropped his book beside him and edged forward.  
Bucky’s heart thundered in his chest as Steve handed him the sketchbook. Bucky was smiling, he couldn’t help it as he looked down at the book and…  
‘Oh,’ he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice. The page wasn’t filled with a depiction of Bucky, instead it was the couch just to the right of him. Their ginger cat the focus.  
‘I resist. I looked over and the couch was swallowing him.’ Steve said with a laugh. Bucky turned to see that cat in question was indeed fast asleep slipping down between the cushions and the back of the couch.   
‘Haha yeah.’ Bucky said forcing his disappointment down. ‘Stupid fluffball.’   
Steve was looking at Bucky now. He could feel his eyes on him.  
‘Of course you’d be drawing him. You’re sketchbook is full of the damn animal.’ Bucky said turning back to Steve, forcing a smile onto his face.  
‘Well yeah, wait, did you think I was drawing you?’ Steve asked a little surprise in his voice.  
‘No!’   
‘You did!’  
‘Didn’t! Why would you be?!’ Bucky shot back knowing full well he was blushing now.   
‘Aw Buck, if you wanted me to draw you you only had to ask.’ Steve said teasingly.  
‘Fuck you.’  
Bucky slumped back into the couch, arms folded across his chest. He must’ve looked like a pouting child but he didn’t care. Steve shook his head at him, a smirk playing on his lips before disappearing into his bedroom. Bucky glared after him, embarrassment filling his every pore. Of course Steve had been drawing the damn cat. Why on earth would he waste his time drawing him.  
He felt the couch dip beside him moments later as Steve sat down. Bucky glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He had another sketchbook clutched in his hand. A different, smaller one Bucky hadn’t seen before.  
‘Here, take a look.’ Steve said holding the book out to him.  
‘Why?’ Bucky asked.  
‘Just do it you stubborn jerk.’  
Bucky scoffed at him but took the book. Not daring to look at Steve he opened the sketchbook. Slowly turning through the pages Bucky’s butterflies kicked up again. Every single page was filled with him. Everything from tiny focuses on his metal fingers to a full scene of him sat in the window with the cat in his lap.  
‘Why didn’t you show me these before?’ Bucky asked finally looking at Steve.  
‘Didn’t think you’d want me drawing you all the time so I kept them to myself. Thought it might be weird.’ Steve told him his eyes trained on his knees.  
‘Why would it be weird? You’ve been doing it since we were kids.’  
‘You remember that?’ Steve said looking up at him surprised.  
‘Course I do, told you I remember most of it now.’  
‘Yeah but that’s so insignificant.’   
‘Not to me its not.’ Bucky said. ‘Nothing about you is insignificant to me.  
‘Buck, listen..’  
‘I love you.’ Bucky blurted.   
Shit shit shit. Why did he say that? Steve was staring at him now. Oh god he’d ruined everything. He just couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t even know where it came from.  
‘Shit, I didn’t. I’m sorry… I..’  
‘I love you too Buck.’ Steve said quietly.  
Bucky froze.  
‘Wait what?’ Bucky asked stupidly. Steve’s cheeks were pink now and he looked almost small as he gazed at Bucky a little unsure.  
‘I love you too.’  
‘You do?’  
‘Yeah, have since 1943.’  
‘Only then? Pfft.’ Bucky retorted with an awkward laugh. He was a little dumbfounded. Steve loved him? How was that even possible anymore.  
‘But I’m not..’ Bucky began before Steve cut him off.  
‘Not anything other than my best friend in the whole world, the only person I’ve ever needed by my side? Yeah don’t even bother with that shit James Buchanan Barnes.’  
‘Oh I’m getting the full name treatment now?’ Bucky joked but inside his heart skipped. The way Steve was looking at him made him feel something he didn’t dare to describe.  
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t say anything sooner. I didn’t want to push things. I wasn’t sure how you felt after, well everything.’ Steve said.  
‘If there was one thing I’ve been certain of for a long time it was how I felt about you.’ Bucky said softly and it was true. Even if he didn’t truly realise it until Wakanda, he knew it was there all along. He had know on the helicarrier. Had know when he pulled Steve from the water. He hadn’t known what that feeling was, hadn’t even known who he was at that point. But it had been there.  
A muffled cry came from behind Steve cutting the tension that had been building and they both turned to see the cat attempting to pull itself out of the couch.  
‘Stupid fucking cat.’ Bucky muttered as he reached over pulling the cat out and dropping it into Steve’s lap.  
‘Yeah but you love him.’  
‘Hmm, seems I have a thing for loving stupid idiots who like get themselves into trouble.’ Bucky said pointedly. Steve just grinned at him before slumping into his side, resting his head on Bucky’s shoulder.  
Bucky smiled down at him. He suddenly felt a lot lighter. Like the weight of his feelings for Steve had been pressing down on him and now that they were out it felt like he was floating.   
He watched as Steve stroked the soft ginger fur of their cat with one hand, the other lying between their thighs. Bucky reached over, lacing their fingers together. Steve looked up at him, a soft smile on his lips. Bucky returned the smile before resting his head on Steve’s.   
That wave of nostalgia washed over him again as he remembered a time they sat almost exactly like this on their fire escape, basking in the evening sun.   
Yeah things were different now, but they were still just two kids from Brooklyn at the end of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> As always you can find my on tumblr [here](http://raisedinthunder.tumblr.com)


End file.
